A lot of guys love wine. They collect it. They drink it. Some guys, like Steve Thorp and Mike Macquisten went one better. They make a living from it.

The founders of Vancouver Urban Winery, a very cool multi-function space with tasting bar introduced a new idea to Vancouver earlier this year – importing good wines in bulk and packaging it locally. First, they packaged wines in kegs for a wine on tap trade they started. The system works very well, preserving the integrity of the wine.

Now they’ve just released the first bottled wines, labelled Roaring Twenties. They were in their twenties when they plunged into their dream business and started visiting wineries around the world.

What’s unique about this wine ‘packaging’ business is, if people want to drink a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or a Malbec from Argentina (the wines the company imports right now), the transit only involves the wine, not the heavy glass wine bottles. And, the packaging process in Vancouver provides jobs here.

“A lot of times, bottles made in Canada or Europe are shipped to Argentina empty, to be filled and they’re shipped back,” says Thorp. “A lot of overhead and revenue stay in the country. We’re buying raw product at base cost, employing people on the ground, buying packaging made in Canada and doing everything to keep it local.”

Vancouver Urban Winery buys their bottles from Quebec. They import the wine in 24,000-litre tanks for kegging and bottling at their facility. Both their red and white wines sell for $14.99.

The Sauvignon Blanc is described as fresh and vibrant on the palate; brimming with flavours of pineapple, stone fruit, lemon zest and herbaceousness.

The Malbec, the literature says, is robust, fruity and complex with a smooth, chocolatey richness and subtle black pepper.

The sauvignon blanc is Christmas ready for turkey. And, says Thorp, “everybody loves a heft red wine at Christmas. It goes with meats, chocolate and pairs well with high fives and having fun.”

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